Road-machine excavating and steering mechanism



J. M. LARSH 1.718.965

ROAD MACHINE EXCAVATING AND STEERING MECHANISM July 2, 1929.

Original Filed Jan. 4, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 lalillllllu July 2, 1929.LARSH 1,718,965

ROAD MACHINE EXCAVATING AND STEERING MECHANISM Original Filed Jan. 4,1926' s she -sheet 2 i w Irwenr; my

'54 A31 1 3 fiAR/IZLLIQ Z Jflawys,

y 2, 1929- J. M. LARSH 1.718.965

ROAD MACHINE EXCAVATING AND STEERING MECHANISM Original Filed Jan. 4,1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 UNITED S TES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. LARSH, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOWILLIAIMODE TAYLOR AND ONE-FOUI tTH TO ULYSSESGRANTSMITH, BOTH OF INDIANAP-OLIS, INDIANA.

noan-imonmnnxoavarme annsrnmmo imonmrsm.

Original application filed January 4,

This invention relates to mold boards for road machines, and themechanism for steering the machine while the mold board is in use, andis a division of my application for a patent on a road making machinefiled January 4, 1926, Serial 'No. 79,245.

One object of this invention is to provide a double suspension for themold board from a two-part V-shaped draw-bar connected with the front ofthe machine by a single hinge and having a rear-end means for laterallyadjusting that end of the draw-bar to correspondingly shift themold-board.

A further object is to provide means, operated from the rear platform,for independently raising or lowering each member of the two-partdraw-bar in order, thereby, to raise or lower the corresponding endofthe mold-board.

Another object is to provide a resilient support from the body-frame forthe moldboard, which will assist in and therebyreduce the labor ofraising the mold-board off of the ground, as when it is desired to turnthe road machine or haul it when not scraping the road, and which willassist in holding the mold-board against'the roadway while the roadmachine is at work.

a I accomplish the above principal objects and. other minor ones thatwill ereinafter appear, by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which ment in operative assembly therewith;

Fig. 1, is a top plan view of so much of a road machine as is essent alfor the 1llustration of my 1nvent1on,-w1th my lmprove- Fig. 2, is a sideelevation, with the rear wheels, and parts 'unessential to a clearunderstanding, removed, but with my invention shown as in Fig. 1; Fig.3, is a detail in vertical section, on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4, of theconnection between the rear axle and draw-bar of the machine; Fig. .4,is an elevation and vertical sec-.

tion of same from the line 4+4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5, is a detail of the mold board rais ing and lowering mechanism,and

Fig. '6, 182. view in cross section on the i line 66, of the Fig. 5;Fig. 7,a cross section on the line 7--7 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 8, is adetail in section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 1 is the body frame of the machine, 2, 2,are the front road wheels, and 3, 3,,arethe'rear road wheels. 1s themold board .4. Depending from the bpdy frame is a segmental rack 5, withwhich a plnlon' 6 engages to move the rack and rock the frame. The bodyframe is rockably hinged on a front end middle shaft 200, and a rearmiddle shaft 201 shown 1 n dotted lines in Fig. 2. The shafts areournaled in suitable cross members of the frameand in adjacent boxmembers from which, diagonal braces 202 at the middle of the machineextend down and are fastened to the draw-bar in front and to the axle ini the rear. This rear axle is formed out of twoparallel angle bars 12,12. The wheels 2, 2, are mounted on axlestubswhich'a-re attached byknuckles 52 with a lever- 53 which is pivoted to a front axle 35 that isnot skewable relative to the body-framel for steering purposes, but thesteering is accomplished by means hereafter to be described.

have longitudinal slots 39 for the passe. e of the shaft and-on oneprojecting end 0 the shaft a worm wheel 40 is mounted and is driven by aworm 41 on a shaft 42, which carries a bevel wheel 43 that is driven bya pinion 44 on a vertical shaft 45. A bevel wheel 46 on shaft 45 isdriven by a pinion 47 on a shaft 48. The latter terminates above therear axle and is provided with a hand crank 49. The shaft 48 hasuniversal joints 50, 50, to prevent cramping of the shaft which mightotherwise be caused by irre ularities in road surface over which the macine often travels. The wheels 2,2, are mounted on stubs which areconnected by vertical pivots in spindles 52, 52, which are supported bybracket extensions from respective vertical arms 53, 53, whichareattached to the front Between the front and rear wheels I axle 35 pivots5 1-, 54. The manner of turning the front wheels for steering the 'whichengages it. a

machine will be hereinafter described.

' The arms 53, 53, are connected by ball and socket joints 55, 55, attheir upper ends, with a horizontal rack bar 6. This rack bar isnormally held from longitudinal movement with the axle 35 by a spur gearwheel 57, The shaft for the spur gear is journaled in'a housing 58,suspended on rollers 59' from the top of the rack bar 56. and is free tomove vertically with the bar 56 but is held byvertical frame bars 72from movement longitudinally of bar 56, with one result, that when theaxle 35 is shifted longitudinally, the wheels 2, 2, are

tilted because the upper ends of arms 53, 53

- are held from corresponding movement by little-to conform the wheelswith the lateral slope of the road-grade I provide a rectifying meanswhich additionally utilizes the rack-bar 5.6 and car 57. The shaft 59,car- 'rying the gear w eel 57 has a gear wheel 60,

that'is operated by a worm 61' mounted on a shaft 62'journaled inbrackets depending from shaft 59 (see Fig. 8) and a bevel wheel 63 onshaft'62 is driven by a bevel pinion 64, on a vertical shaft 65. lheshaft 65 has a universal joint 66, and is also in two telescopingsectlons as shown, to allowfor variations in shaft-len h andshaft-positions which occur, a beve wheel ,67 at the top of shaft 65 isdriven by a bevel pinion 68 on a shaft 69, that extends 'rearwardly andterminates with a handcrank' 70 in convenient reach of the operator onthe rear platform The shaft 69 has two universal joints 71, as shown inFig. 1 to keep the shaft from binding when. the machine is on unevenroads. By a proper manipulation of hand crank 70 the rack bar 56 canbemoved longitudinally of itself in either direction to change the angularrelation of wheels 2, 2, to the road surface and the bar 56 can tilt onthe gear wheel as a pivot when the machine is moving over uneven ground,without moving the bar longitudinally.

A draw-bar 71', see Figs..1, and 2, is attached to vertical angle-barstandards 72. (It-is to this draw bar that-a second draw bar isconnected that carries the-mold board,

as will be hereinafter described.) Connected with the front end of draw71' by a link 73, is a tongue 74, the front. end of which is free toswing about link '73, as a hinge, and pivoted under the rear end ofsteering tongue 74 is a draft tongue 75 the front end of which isattached to a tractor or other draft power (not shown). The weight oftongue 74 is resiliently supported from the body-frame 1 by a springhitch 76. Slidingly mounted in a suitable horizontal opening in tongue74 is a box-81 through which slides a pair of channel bars 77, 77,having a rack-bar 78 in the channel of the upper one, which rack-bar isin engagement with a spur gear wheel 79. The shaft 80- (see Fig. 1) ofthe spur gear wheel is suitably journaled in the box 81 on the tongueand carries a worm-wheel 82 which is driven by a worm 83 on the lowerend of a vertical shaft 84. The box 81 has a vertical pin 180 whichpasses between the tongue and a guide-bar 151. The shaft 84, as shown inFig. 2, is in two telescoping members and has a universal joint 85, andthe shaft terminates with a bevel wheel 86 that is driven by a bevelpinion 87 on a shaft 88 that extends back to a crank 89 above latform34. The shaft 88 has the universal oints 90, 90. When the crank 89 isturned the rack-bar 78, by the action of the intervening mechanism abovedescribed, 'is correspondingly moved longitudinally through the tongue,and it is obvious that by suitably connecting the ends of the channelbars 77 with which rack bar 78 is fastened, with the axle studs on whichthe front wheels 2, 2, are mounted, the latter will be turned indirections to steer the machine. To this end the axle stubs are formedwith forwardly projecting arms 91, 91, see Fig. 2 and these areconnected by link-bars 100, 100, with the respective ends of the channelbars 77. The link-bars preferably comprise vertical joints 101, 101. Thebar 78 and box 81 move longitudinally of the tongue in adjustmentrequired by the swing of the front wheels '2, 2.

To revent injury to the machine by contact o afront wheel or its hubwith a pole or other road obstructions I provide a release in the formof a breakable pin 180 of wood or the like, which will break and allowthe contacting members to give way when the strain exceeds theresistance of the pin, and the breakage is repaired by insertin a newpin.

I Wlll now describe the draw-bar construction that takes the mainworking load and strain of the machine; also the attachment to it of themold board.

The draw-bar to which the mold board is attached is preferably in twoparts 101, 101, the forward ends of which meet and are attached to aneye-bolt 102, which is hinged to a loop fastened to the rear of draw-bar71, to t e front of which the draft tongue circular angle-bar 106, andthis bar 105 is secured to the block 104 by a pivot-pin 107. Fixed tothe bar 105, concentricallyof pin 107, is a wheel 108 having an annularrow of side cogs 109 which are engaged by a cogged wheel 110, on a shaft111 thatextends back under platform 34 and terminates with a foot-wheel112, the upper portion of which projects far enough through the platformto allow the wheel and shaft to be rotated by foot movement of theoperator. A suitable locking mechanism (not shown) may be used ifnecessary to prevent accidental rotation of. the wheel 112. l The endsof the semicircular angle ba 106 turn down and provide the attachingmeans for a mold board 4, of usual construction, the angular adjustmentof which across the machine is secured by the above described mechanismcontrolled by the foot wheel 112, and a required adjustment so securedis retained, by passing a pin 113 through. one of a series of hole 114in the vertical flange of the"angle-bar 106. The

- pin 113 is mounted in brackets 115 depending from the draw bars 101,101. It is pressed into engagement with the holes in the flange by aspring 116 see Fig 2 and is withdrawn by a foot lever 168 pivoted in theplatform 34 and connected with the pin by a cable 117.

Pivoted-to the rearends of both draw bar members 101, 101, is a yoke118, having a rearwardly extending stem upon which a tube 119 isfastened. Telescoping into the tube from its rear end is a second tubethe rear end of which is pivoted to ears integral with a plate 120 seeFigs. 3 and 4, which has sliding adjustment on the head of a T.

' bar 121 which is bolted tothe horizontal flange of the front angle barwhich com- 4 prises a part of the rear axle. The plate has '50 topandbottom hook edges to receive the head of the bar 121 as shown in Fig.3. The

tube adjacent to plate 120, has a universal joint as shown in Fig. 2, ora ball and socket joint as shown in Fig. 3, to afford-the necessaryadjustments and freedom of movementof parts. The plate 120 ispositionedand removing bolt 123 and screwing the threa ed bolt 124 into thefemale'link member 125. This avoids twisting the chain, which is furtherkept in condition by passing around pulleys 126, 126, at the ends of.bar 121 as shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

I will now describe the mechanism for lowering and raising the moldboard as a, whole or at either end. The weight of the body-frame andparts attached thereto is utilized for forcing the mold-board into theroad surface and for holding it there.' This weight is applied throughmechanism duplicated for each draw-bar member 101, 101, and as they areboth alike, a description of one will sulfice for both.

- This comprises a substantially vertical rack-bar 127, the lower .endof which is pivoted to and between a pair of angle-bars 128, 128, uponand connecting the rear end of members 101, 101. This connection asshown in Fig. 2, is a universal joint, but it may be a ball-and-sockc'tjoint, thereby allowing the toothed upper portion of the rack bar toremain always in mesh with a gear wheel 130 mounted in journalssupported by members 131 which latterare supported from the body-frame1." Figure 6 illustrates the channeled construction of the rack-bar onits outer side to receive a friction rollei- 132, and on the oppositeside to receive the gear 130 and hold the latter on the cogs of therack-bar. The bar is also channeled toreceive flanges of vertical anglebar guides 133. The gear wheel 130 is mounted on-a shaft 1.35 whichextends rearwardly to a suitable on this rear end of the shaft is awormon a short counter shaft 138 having a hand wheel 139' mounted on itsinner end for the manual lifting and'lowering of the moldboard. I l

Fig. 5, also illustrates myimproved spring-mechanism which assists inlifting the mold-board off of the ground in one position of a lever 134,moving with the gear wheel 130, but which acts oppositely to pull themold-board down when lever 134'is in the lower arc of its circle ofmovement.

The lever 134 is shown in Fig. 5 in fullf point above the platform34,'and mounted lines .in position of maximum elevation of themold-board to assist in elevating the; mold-board, by the action of aspring 135 coiled around a fixed stud 136 and having an arm extension137'. A cable 138' has an end attached to the end of arm 137'. It passesdown and under a pulley 178, and thence up to the end of lever 134, towhich it is attached through a clevis 135. When,'by manually rotatingthe gear-wheel 130 by the means described, 'in a direction contraclockwise to raise the mold-board, the pull of the spring on lever 134has assisted in raising it; and to lower the mold-board from theposition of the gear and lever in the drawing, the springcounter-balances the -weight of the blade until the'lever 134 has passedthe extension of a line drawn through .tension oft-he spring.

Attention is called to the fact that the front axle is a supportingmember, only,-and is not skew-able as heretofore, to assist in steeringthe machine. But the front road wheels are mounted on studs which areconnected by knuckles with the respective ends of the front axle, andare turned on said knuckles, in very much shorter circles than,

would obtain were the steering done by skewing the front axle in the oldway, with the advantage that more room is left for the adjustment andoperation of the mold board without interfering contact with the frontwheels.

Having-thus described this invention what I claim is 1. In a road makingmachine, a draft tongue, a draft bar to which the tongue is attached,a'second draft-bar attached to the first one and extending rearwardlythereof, the last draft bar being in two rearwardly diverging members, apivot block extending transversely of the machine and attached to bothof the diverging members intermediate their ends, a mold-board pivotallyconnected with'the pivot block, means to secure and retain a rotaryadti'ustment of the mold-board on its pivot, an means in duplicate atthe rear of the pivot transmitting the weight of the machine to the twodiverged members of the second draft-bar to hold the scraper blade inthe ground. I

2. In a road machine, a draft tongue, a draft bar to which the tongue isattached, a second draft-bar attached to the'first one and extendingrearwardly thereof, the last the mold-board on its pivot, a yoke hingedto the rear ends of the two diverging draw bar members, said yoke beingmovable to swing the draw bar laterally of the machine to laterallyadjust the working position of the mold-board.

3. In a road making machine, a body- .frame a mold-board below theframe, means comprising a rack and gear wheel for lowermg and raisingthe mold-board, an armlnoving with the gear wheel, a spring and meanscooperating with the spring and arm for utilizing the action of thespring to force the mold-board into the ground in one relation of saidlast means with the spring and for lifting the mold'board in anotherrelation of said last means with the s ring.

4. In a road making machine, a frame a mold board below the frame, meanscomprising a rack and gear wheel for lowering and raisingthe'mold-board, a spring having an arm, a lever rocking with the gearwheel and means comprising a cable connecting the arm and lever to causethe spring to assist in raising the mold-board in one position of thelever and to influence the mold-board ina reverse direction in anotherposition of the lever.

5. In a road making machine, a body- 'frame, a mold-board, meanscomprising an arm for lowering and raising the moldboard, a sprin andmeans cooperating with the spring an arm for utilizing the action of thespring to force the mold-board into theground in one relation of said.last means with the spring and for lifting the mold-board in anotherrelation of said last means with the spring.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN M. LARSH.

ody-

